Of Kings and Thrones
by Adrenalined
Summary: Set in an alternate reality, Kayaba Akihito ignites an international crisis that places the major world governments at his mercy. This is the story of Kayaba's ambitious scheme, with the help from his fellow Kings , to establish a virtual New World Order. A deadly virtual game with real life consequences... Kirito/ Kazuto X (You know the drill.) New OC Enemies!
1. Prologue

Hi guys, the name's Adrenalined and this is my first ever attempt at a fanfic short story of any kind. This is my take if Kayaba was more ambitious in carrying out Sword Art Online and had some hired help to assist him. May consider romantic elements (if my writing capability allows for it).

For the record: I do not possess ownership to Sword Art Online, its characters, locations, items, jargon or any legalese of the trade. I'm just here to tell a damn good story.

* * *

_Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)_

_21st June 2020, 21:55 Local Time_

_Los Angeles Convention Centre, South Exhibit Hall_

Kayaba Akihito indulged himself with a generous sip of whiskey, emptying his shot glass in a single gulp.

_This was going to be a long night._

Dressed in his iconic lab coat in spite of reminders from the organisers to attend in casual formal attire, the organisers were more than willing to indulge in the VIP's requirements so long as it suited him and the several hundreds of fans waiting in line to catch a mere glimpse or snapshot of the prodigy video game designer, rather young for his age at 22.

Looking down on the assembled crowd standing in the expansive exhibition hall, he estimated that tonight's attendance numbered in the thousands. Unlike the other gaming fans waiting to catch the highlights of the most anticipated games of the year, he himself was waiting in the luxurious confines of the VIP booth. A gilded cage. Yet, he could still make out the identities of the speakers on stage. They were the spokespersons of a prominent international software and computing company. The exact same company, in fact, that he had just pitched his revolutionary «Nerve Gear» to a mere 10 minutes ago backstage. The exact same company that had out rightly guffawed at his brainchild.

"A helmet console that directly interferes with the brain's neural output processes? Our manufacturer would never be able to produce them on a large scale or at such a competitive price!"

How f*cking trivial. Not to mention completely expected of a business executive. They are always so preoccupied by the costs and profits of their products. To think that if his brain was wired a few neurones differently, he might just begin to comprehend the unexplored potential of «Nerve Gear» in the gaming industry. Kayaba knows that there are several key factors to any successful video game: a solid back-story that unifies the characters, fluid game mechanics, a certain "fun factor" and beautiful graphics. All these aspects culminate to serve only one purpose – to draw the players into the "reality" away from reality. The "reality" where life was fun and dangerous. Where slaying mobs, questing dungeons, partying with friends (optional if you are a soloist), getting adrenaline-high from landing the «Last Hit» on nigh-invincible level bosses and basically just living their lives to the fullest, all the while unaffected by the mundane facts of life.

So where does the «Nerve Gear» come in? It serves two functions: the first, being that humans are only capable of processing graphics and details as far as they are able to perceive the world around them – through the human brain. It would be overkill, not to mention exorbitantly expensive, to mass-produce 3D headgear with hundreds of attached micro-lasers to individually carve out each frame directly onto the player's retinas. Well, assuming that the player is even able to register the few extra pixels worth of detail, that is. Secondly, video games have long required the use of a secondary controller to control the ping-pong paddle/ podgy plumber/ pacman/ green elf swordsman/ (strange) monster tamer/ pixelized spaceship across a two-dimensional screen. The result: player control becomes and less intuitive and less-user friendly. After all, why pretend to be in another world when you can live in one, experiencing it through all five of your senses? Watching the starry night sky, hear the battle cries of your comrades, smell the fields of flowers, feel the action of a two-handed battle axe in your hand or even taste the cooking of other players'.

"Baka (idiot)", Kayaba sighed under his breath, "You have no idea what you have just forfeited."

Standing up from his bar seat, he smoothly slides his shot glass back to the bartender. Although he has failed to reach a cordial consensus with his original client (the idiot executive who was later punched in the face by yours truly), Kayaba still had more interested clients that have shown promise in furthering his cause. It would have been pointless for him to travel over 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean with only one plan of action. Looking back at the game presentation for the last time, he could see the game trailer rise to a climax as the female protagonist leaps off waterfall before plunging into pure darkness. A small satisfying grin crept on to the corners of Kayaba's face. The plaster hastily pasted over that idiot executive's bloodied nose really suits him well.

010101010101

_The Assembly of Kings_

_21st June 2020, 22:27 Local Time_

_Starbucks, 603 South Spring Street_

The tinkle of small bells echoed silently throughout the buzzing coffee house. Kayaba adjusted his coat as he pushed open the glass-panelled door. The Starbucks interior was decorated with warm hues of mahogany counter tops, supporting columns painted to match the coffee roasts and Mandarin orange wallpaper. The sound system was synced to a local jazz station as it cranked up tunes from Jazz maestros, suddenly switching between Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" to "Round Midnight" by Theolonius Monk. Although the place was due to close in half an hour, the place was packed with students and a few couples unwilling to set aside their caffeine for a good night's rest.

_"I still remember what it felt like to be young"_, Kayaba quietly reminiscenced as he watched the students' conversations. It was only the occasional bout of friendly teasing and laughter that snapped him back to reality. Unfortunately, he would have little time on his hands for such trivial companionship. The unfolding of his master plan was to occur approximately two years from now. More importantly, it was tonight's meeting that would serve as its catalyst, determining whether he should advance his schedule to make the deadline.

"Good evening, Sir. May I take your order?" the young, female counter staff asked politely.

"Ah, yes please. One medium cappuccino," Kayaba hastily added. He paid for the bill with his smartphone and proceeded to the collection area. His eyes strayed to the back of the café where a group of four men lounged around a low coffee table, playing some sort of card game. After a quick minute or two, his cappuccino was served steaming hot and fresh, just the way he savoured it. Picking up the saucer and cup, Kayaba expertly navigated his way amongst the intricately- laid tables and chairs, past the teasing students and love-struck couples, to the card game he was spectating mere moments earlier. As he closed in on the four players, a casual laughter erupted from their midst.

"A four-of-a-kind! Why «Gentleman», your luck seems to be inexhaustible tonight. You just won the last three consecutive rounds without breaking a sweat!" This came from the South African situated nearest to Kayaba. His black T-shirt had a Pac-Man eating Clyde, the orange ghost, emblazoned on the front.

"You jest, dear «Haxorz»?" the Englishman, who was addressed as the «Gentleman», replied. "Or are you feeling sore that you lost your precious $10k in the last round?" The «Gentleman» had more refined taste in apparel, sporting a white polo shirt, which was much less extravagant compared to his usual taste for designer suits.

This time it was the South Korean with yellow, spiky hair that could not resist a quick jab. "Both you mofo's get off my turf. If you want to survive the night, your hands need to move much faster than «APM 9k»!" To emphasise his point, he shows a single card (the King of Spades) and turns it around promptly. With a deft backhand throw, the card flies across shop, magically sticking to the glass panel across them. The impromptu audience gasped. The card now showed a sarcophagus, dimly lit by two fire torches that flanked it.

The final member merely chuckled, a young white American with chiselled features; barely amused at the cheap sleight-of-hand that could be easily replicated by any street magician. Or was it at the fact that he was the only one who folded his hand of cards, sparring his ten thousand dollars in the last round of the high-stakes poker game? When it came to the «Merc», anything goes. Welcoming the last member of the group, «Haxorz» gestured to the last remaining chair available. Kayaba curtly acknowledges all the attendees of the meeting by their codenames before taking his seat at his end of the round table. As the leader of the small assembly, Kayaba deemed it fit to begin with a short opening.

"Good evening gentlemen, pun not intended, to this exclusive meeting tonight. By gracing us with your presence this evening, each of you esteemed individuals has acknowledged your invitation to join me in a revolutionary breakthrough in modern gaming history."

Kayaba gave a brief pause, ensuring that he held the undivided attention of all four men. With a quick sweep of the eyes, he continues his introduction.

"I am pleased to inform you that the «Nerve Gear» has just undergone the final stages of testing and has passed many of our expectations back at «Argus», my game development company." This roused a brief round of applause. "«Sword Art Online» is to be released in 2022, a mere two years away. If you all have not realised by now, each of you symbolise a significant geographical sphere of influence in the gaming industry."

"«Haxorz», originating from the villages of South Africa, your continent is rapidly modernising, a major shareholder in «Argus» and many other international videogame companies. It is attempting a breakthrough in the video game industry despite heavy trade embargoes against some of its more "questionable" exports.«Gentleman», Europe may be grappling with the Eurozone Crisis II, but the support from the gaming community has hardly faltered. Some of the biggest item exchange markets are on Europe-based servers, drawing an estimated 3.2 billion American dollars and stimulating the international trade market.«APM 9k», South Korea had long been one of the biggest regional customers in Asia. The fact that their national sport is a futuristic real-time strategy is a testament to the nation's passion for the virtual world. Your influence also reaches out to the southernmost tips of South East Asia, hence my reason for appointing you as the Asian regional commander for «Sword Art Online».«Merc», representative elect of the Americas and Canada, these two countries, in many senses of the word, holds a monopoly over the game industry – programmers, sales, players, international teams and championship titles. Though faced with fierce from your Chinese counterparts, the American representatives have consistently outperformed their rivals in both game design and championship winnings."

"It is for these reasons that I wish to expand the distribution of «Nerve Gear» headwear and copies of «Sword Art Online» on a global scale. Some of you are aware of my original, though admittedly, unrealistic target of 10,000 players based in the Japanese peninsula alone. However, with your assistance and an international audience, I want to sell out all of the «Nerve Gear» and instances of «Sword Art Online» within the first three hours of distribution, all _50,000_ of them." This drew a unified shock of disbelief. "Fifty-… 50,000 copies in the first three hours alone?!" The cappuccino on the coffee table has now long turned cold and forgotten. This sudden revelation has just turned the dimensions of product demand on its heels. Despite the overt and very much apparent state of shock exhibited by his partners, Kayaba granted them the luxury of a few minutes to let the fact sink in.

"As I am also aware, you individuals have come to me seek out your personal vendettas, be it on the personal or national scale. Some of you seek riches befitting of a king's coffers, a market that sways at your very whim and fancy. Some of you seek a chance of redemption, to prove you and your country's worth to the world. Some of you seek providence, political asylum from your vengeful foes. Some of you seek mysterious goals, an agenda obscured from the light of day, never to be revealed to mankind. In a way, my offer to you is your final chance to life. «Sword Art Online» will prove to be the solution to all of your problems. A shot at new life, new goals, new ambitions to pursue, all the while burying your old current selves in the process."

"Gentlemen, I have a proposition for you that you simply cannot refuse."

* * *

«APM 9k»: Abbreviation for "Actions-per-minute over nine thousand", jargon more commonly utilised in real-time strategy games.

* * *

Well, yup, hope that serves to pique your interest in the events to come. This first chapter serves as a prologue/teaser for the main event. I welcome constructive feedback, bosses and OC ideas from the crowd. Please provide details such as weapon(s) of choice and abilities (where applicable). Hope to receive favs and comments! :D


	2. In the Beginning

_Hey guys, the second part of the story is out and I'm glad to be able to finally introduce Kazuto's part in the whole mystery and intrigue thing. Sorry it took a week, I'm generally a slow writer so please forgive me. Now on to the main event!_

* * *

_T-minus 35 minutes to Kendo practice_

_6th November 2022, 12:55 Local Time_

_Kirigaya Residence_

"Onii-chan, I'm heading out for kendo practice!" Suguha called out from the bottom of the stairs. An eerie silence ensued. Realising that she would not be receiving a reply, Suguha pouted her cheeks and muttered under her breath. "_Baka_."

She hurriedly checked herself in the mirror one last time, careful to prevent her _shinai_ from falling out of her school bag, before running out the front door. The first thing that greeted her was the chilly winter breeze striking her face. Where the average teenage school girl could hardly get through the front door without a thick winter jacket, Suguha's years of discipline had desensitized her to the forbidding temperature and winter snow.

Just as she was about to turn around the street corner, Suguha's attention was drawn to the second floor window of the Kirigaya residence. The window to Kazuto's room. Onii-chan's room. She and Kazuto were siblings, yet she could not shake off the inevitable feeling that Kazuto was steadily succumbing to the vice grip of augmented reality. Kazuto's consistent A's in school were more than enough proof for their mother to approve of his gaming habits, but Suguha was not easily fooled. Ever since Kazuto received that package from «Argus», he has been ceding more time to «Sword Art Online». 2 hours on the first day, then 3, 4…

A single tear streaked down her left cheek, her fists shaking uncontrollably. The overwhelming sadness and hatred was not directed at Kazuto, but herself. A small price to pay for allowing video games to steal her brother away from her. Suguha recalled her childhood days when she actually spent time with her Onii-chan. She could still remember that time when she was 8, and him, 9, where he would accompany her to the local park. They would play on the swings and even hide-and-seek amongst the autumn leaves. Or the other time during her 9th birthday when Kazuto returned from the video rental shop with a stack of vintage kaiju movies. They stayed up late watching classics like Ultraman and Godzilla on a school night, only to be chased by their fuming mother back to sleep. Or the other time in the mall… Or the other time on Children's Day… Or the other time… Or…

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep_

The watch on her left wrist sprang to life, buzzing and vibrating against her pale skin. _One of these days I really ought to ask Kazuto to fix this ancient piece of clockwork! _Checking the time, Suguha could not help but fix her eyes in shock on the time. _Aiee! It's 1pm already? How did I just end up daydreaming for the last 5 minutes?_ After a short bout of panic and running around in circles several times, she finally grasped her sense of direction and sprinted towards the direction of her school.

Wait for me, Onii-chan. I promise when I get back, I will take you out to the park just like last time. Wait for me.

* * *

_T-minus 5 minutes to official release of _«_Sword Art Online_»

_6th November 2022, 12:55 Local Time_

_Kirigaya Residence_

"Onii-chan, I'm heading out for kendo practice!"

Kazuto instinctively looked up from his magazine and stared at the door. His mouth opened, willing it to say something encouraging like "have fun" or "take care" but all that came out was an incomprehensible croak from his throat, irritated from unuse. _Sigh. Forget it. _It would have been too awkward if he had chosen to chase after Suguha to apologise.

As Suguha's footsteps receded into the distance, Kazuto stood up from his seat to approach the long glass window beside his desk. The view from the second-storey window overlooked the house's front garden, which was also Suguha's preferred location to practice her kendo swordsmanship. Although Suguha had already left, he could still picture her in her kendo robes with _shinai_ in hand, repeatedly lashing out overhead strikes at an invisible enemy. This she would undertake without fail every weekend morning. "Hiya! Hiya! Hiya!" The fearsome cries of the swordswoman punctured the early silence of dawn in rhythmic cycles, as if synchronising with the systoles of his heart.

Ironically, the disciplined schedule of the tireless fighter always coincided with that of the Black Swordsman. While one was in reality, fighting for the national title, the other was silently hunting in the depths of the darkest dungeons of virtual reality, training to become the strongest swordsman there ever was in the history of mankind. They were two siblings in alternate dimensions with similar passions and dreams, yet conquering different paths to achieve them.

_Siblings?_ Kazuto caught himself in a moment of thought. Yes, he and Suguha were very much related by blood, but not as close as they had initially perceived. In truth, they were maternal cousins, those you were supposed to know and talk to during annual family events (maybe your experiences differ from mine). It was only through a heartless hand of unyielding fate that created a young orphan out of him, merely a year old. A tragic car accident had robbed him of another life, not that he would have spent a happier or more fulfilling childhood. In fact, it was the moments with Suguha, playing on the swings, friendly sparring back when he still practiced _kendo_, or even just table talk over dinner, these were the most treasured experiences that he reserved in a special place of his mind.

However, what he yearned for was of the truth. This, most unfortunately, was his undoing, or more specifically, how he uncovered the years of white lies and b^llsh!t that his aunt had been feeding him. On any other unexceptional weekend morning while clearing through a social studies assignment, he was tasked with constructing a family tree of ancestors. Bonus points if you can trace back more than ten generations. Like any other hardworking millennialist of his tech-savvy world, he looked up the national identity records only to stumble upon a broken link. The link, unused for exactly 10 years, was that of his biological mother. Confused, the then innocent Kazuto began ploughing through the gruesome details in the attached hospital records.

Cause of death: Car accident. Patient suffered extensive internal bleeding, followed by brain haemorrhaging.

Children: 1 (_Kirigaya Kazuto_), adopted by aunt (Kirigaya Midori)

Him, adopted? The shock that rang throughout his mind took a huge toll on his psyche. Kazuto thought that an identity crisis was one of those cheap plot clichés a teenager would experience in those action-packed novels. You know, realizing that his entire parentage actually consisted of secret service agents? Heard of that one before?

A ten year old child adolescent would want to seek confirmation of his parentage, not have his entire definition of a family get ripped to shreds, obliterated in a blink of an eye, existentially speaking. The motherly figure that he had loved and adored was, in essence, a lie. An untruth. A misconception. Not a pretence, but just … a mistake, in a way? To think that his aunt would hide a fact as crucial as his parentage was cruel enough to make him harbour trust issues later in life. A growing abyss of doubt clouded his mind, gnawing away at his conscience. Kazuto and his Aunt Midori had earlier reached a compromise – Suguha would be informed only when she was 14, hopefully by then she would be mature enough to understand of the implications without a mental/emotional breakdown.

Kazuto massaged the numbing pain in his temple. Once he would have thought that such a complicated back story was reserved for those long-winded serial dramas to keep the audiences hooked to the very end, say, 800 or so episodes later? Now, it only gave him a headache. Returning to his seat, he quickly scanned the contents of his room. It was a 5 by 5 metre square room, complete with a comfortable bed, triple-screened desktop and desk, an unremarkable closet built into the wall and finally, a multi-tiered trophy case decked with local _kendo_ competition champion trophies, notable school accolades and a sleek platinum silver «Nerve Gear» headset, by far his most cherished possession. The three screens on his desktop were all set to different websites – the central one was set to the local news agency reporting live ground coverage of «Sword Art Online» sales. Donning a pair of earphones (a gift from Suguha for his 11th birthday), the reporter's coverage and background chatter immediately blasted into his ear drums.

_"The stores in the Shinjuku district are packed with office workers and teenagers alike and we aren't even experiencing lunch time traffic! What could be the cause of all this commotion and buzz right in the middle of Tokyo's business and shopping district? The release of _«_Argus'_»_ newest release of _«_Sword Art Online_»_! It is said to be the most anticipated full virtual dive game of 2022 and probably this decade. _«_Sword Art Online_»_ promises an experience that is years ahead any of _«_Argus'_»_ competitors are able to develop. All orders for online purchases of the game were fully booked within minutes, while half of the number of copies literally vanished within the first 10 seconds alone. The fervour from the fans doesn't even end there. I even heard that the first person in line for the district sales was camping in front of the stall for the past 3 days, armed with nothing but a sleeping bag and bowls of instant ramen. Now moving on, our reporters were granted an exclusive interview with high-ranking executives from _«_Argus_»_…"_

Kazuto muted the news feed before the news agency could change the scene. After all, what would you expect of a business executive anyway? Let me list the ways. One, how do I increase my profits? Two, how do I exploit my workers without getting a labour rights lawsuit? Three, kick back and count my money bags. And the list goes on and on. Speaking of executives, he should really show Suguha the viral video where Kayaba Akihito, chairman of Argus, purportedly punched a rival executive in the face repeatedly to the tune of Harlem Shake. Slightly bemused at that prospect, he casually chuckled to himself. The two of them would be reduced to a laughing fit for an entire night. No questions asked. "Maybe later, Suguha. Onii-chan is going to check out «Sword Art Online» first." Kazuto fancied. Glancing at his digital wall clock, Kazuto quickly grabbed his head gear off the shelf and began shutting down his personal computer. The server officially comes online at 12pm sharp. It would have been an absolute waste if he were to be a second late. By 11:59, Kazuto was fully reclining on his bed in his sleep wear. It was nothing fancy, a long-sleeved shirt with a pair of similar fashioned track pants.

After conducting the preliminary checks of remaining battery life and whether he was in a "comfortable position" devoid of "atmospheric extremities" (whatever the guidebook meant), Kazuto's eyes intently peered through the head gear's visor, gazing at nothing except the bare ceiling.

_Wait for me, Suguha. Onii-chan will be back for you, I promise._

Like reciting a well-rehearsed mantra or inputting a secret access code into his private star ship, the Black Swordsman readied himself for the brave new world.

_Link start._

And his whole world faded into absolute darkness

* * *

_The Kings' First Move_

_6th November 2022, 13:00 Local Time_

_London, Unregistered Soho Apartment_

A laptop screen flickers to life. The CPU initiates a long, complex list of commands including wiping the memory drive 103 times repeatedly and erasing any internet trails its user may have left over the past year. Within 11 minutes, the entire process was complete.

In a dramatic climax, the computer activates a pager connected to the computer with a cheap USB cable. A cylinder of military-grade HMX explosive was electronically triggered through an improvised cell phone bomb, primed at the foundations of Waterloo station. The primary and secondary blasts buried the tube station and the several thousand commuters along with it. No one even had the time to scream.

Counter Terrorism Command investigative units were scrambled to the scene with the fire department and paramedics on standby, all within ten minutes. The fire department worked tirelessly around the clock to rescue any survivors. None in any aspect were alive.

To add more salt to the injury, the unknown laptop launched the last command. An insanely strong Trojan virus was inserted into London's Central Operating System, hacking into all the public display boards all around the collapsed Waterloo station. The name of the Trojan virus, aptly termed «Haxorz», occupied the bottom right of the screen. Instead of the usual sportswear advertisements, the public display boards now showed a single message:

"I love it when a plan comes together.

It's as though fate is no better.

The heroes might try

But I will not lie –

Life just got a hell lot sweeter…" – Dr J.

Under the pale moonlight, as the rescuers toiled and laboured, the words were scarred into the recesses of their minds.

Taunting, taunting.

* * *

It looks like Haxorz has launched the first offensive for the Kings! Ooh, the suspense is killing me. Will Kazuto be able to survive the Kings' assault? Only one way to find out! Stay tune and I promise to come up with the next one soon enough.


End file.
